LINCOLN- Despite the fact that the Nebraska Legislature is officially non-partisan, some senators feel frustrated with the way certain processes are handled. Currently, the Legislature is comprised of 32 Republicans and 17 Democrats. Last session, Republicans in the Legislature passed 31% of the bills they introduced, while Democrats only passed 18% of theirs, a trend expected to continue this year.

"I have nothing to lose," said Senator Cavanaugh to her colleagues during bill debate, "Like nothing of mine is going to pass in this body. Nothing of mine is even going to come out of committee in this body. So, I'm a free agent beyond all free agents." Senator Hunt echoed a similar sentiment. "Sometimes I think the problem is the messenger," said Hunt, "Maybe I'm a progressive. I'm a leftist. And so, people don't want me to have a win or something."

Last year, every Republican senator introduced an average of 20 bills, while Democrats had an average of 37, but didn't pass anywhere near the same amount of bills as Republicans. Senator Steve Lathrop, who left the Legislature last year, cited this problem, as well as a lack of common ground in the body, as a few of the reasons he left the Unicameral. "The contrast between my first eight years and the last four years is pretty dramatic," said Lathrop before he left, "It had more to do with the merit, the work you've done. Didn't have anything to do the party." Now, according to several senators, this has changed significantly.

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